Barcelona vs Sevilla: A look at their past encounters

Barcelona look to continue their winning streak, as they come up against ‘Los Sevillanos’ this coming Sunday. The match will take place in the Camp Nou at 9PM CET. Koeman’s Barcelona have been looking very impressive in both their recent victories, but Sevilla are a different team. It will be interesting to see what Sunday brings, as we take a look at some of the recent matches between both clubs.

Barcelona 4-2 Sevilla.  20/10/18

Barcelona started this match in the best possible way. After dominating the first few minutes, a goal came quick enough. A simple pass through the lines made by Messi on to Coutinho secured the 1-0. His shot, far too powerful for Vaclik, graced the top right corner; erupting the vibrant atmosphere at Camp Nou. Soon later, despite Sevilla hitting the post, the blaugranas made it 2-0. A spacious run by Messi, converted into a lethal left foot shot, rolled into the bottom left corner. Once again, Vaclik had no chance in making a save.

On to the second half, despite Messi being substituted due to a fractured arm, Barcelona were still dominant. They controlled the pace and intensity of the match, the rhythm of the play and of course, the possession. It wasn’t until the 63^rd minute however, when Barca made it 3-0. A penalty converted into a goal by the Uruguayan Striker, killed the match. Sevilla did not give up however, with a goal coming from Pablo Sarabia cin the 79^th minute. His left shot deflected off ex- Sevilla defender Lenglet, bringing it over Ter Stegen and marking Sevilla’s first goal. The goals did not end here however. A volley by ex-Sevilla Midfielder Rakitic made it 4-1, before Muriel closed the match with a goal in the 90+2 minute. The match therefore ended 4-2, with the blaugranas very content with this win.

Barcelona 5-4 Sevilla. 11/08/15

This match was a very special match between the then European champions and the Europa league champions. Three free kicks goals, a total of 9 goals and a winner in the 115^th minute, made this match one full with energy, and excitement.

After going down to a third minute free kick goal by Ever Banega, Barcelona roared into a 4-1 lead. Two beautiful free kick goals scored  by fellow Argentinian Leo Messi, came in  the 7^th and 15^th minute. Barcelona were dominating possession and controlling the game very well at this point. Before the first half ended however, Brazilian teammate Rafinha made it 3-1. After an assist came from Luis Suarez, Rafinha was there to tap it in; bringing the first half to a close.

Similarly in the second half, Barcelona were dominating.  The pace and rhythm of the match was very well controlled, with chances coming from both sides. It wasn’t until the 52^nd minute however, when Barca’s 4^th goal came. An assist completed by Busquets,  meant that Luis Suarez secured his first goal of the game; with Barca leading a comprehensive 4-1.

However, with the match looking done, and Sevilla looking stale and lethargic, something changed. With the second goal of Sevilla coming in the 57^th minute by Jose Antonio Reyes,  the team looked entirely different. They started to dominate, create open space, and generate many chances. This was evident with the two goals that brought ‘Los Sevillanos’ back into the match; coming from both Gameiro in the 72^nd minute and Konoplyanka in the 81^st. It was not until the 115^th minute however, when Pedro secured the victory for the Catalans. Interestingly enough, this was to be his last ever game in a blaugrana shirt, before making a move to English giants Chelsea FC.

Barcelona 1-1 Sevilla. 3/09/03

This match, despite not having the most goals, was chosen in this list because of one player; Ronaldinho. This was one of Ronaldinho’s first ever matches  in a blaugrana shirt. Having come from French team Paris St Germain,  Ronaldinho  was looking to make an impact with the club, and did so in this game.

Despite Sevilla having an early lead, with a goal coming from Jose Antonio Reyes in the 10^th minute, Barcelona relatively controlled the game well.  They had possession, created some chances and dominated both halves convincingly . It was not until the 59^th minute, where Ronaldinho arguably scored one of the best goals in his career. Having run from the halfway line, and skilfully  dribbling past two players, Ronaldinho shot well outside the penalty box. The shot, being very direct and powerful, was no chance for the goalkeeper; as it braced against the crossbar and into the goal. The stadium erupted, with a big round of applause for Ronaldinho’s ‘golaso’. This goal solidified his presence in a Barcelona shirt, and warned opposition of what is to expect from the Brazilian magician. Obviously as we Barcelona fans know, much more was to come; with Ronaldinho being one of the biggest legends of the team.

Ethan Cleverly